Senior vice president Piya Sosothikul said last week the bank would provide more information to its smaller customers and general business operators.

The country's biggest bank has launched a "World Class Seminar Series" focusing on industry issues. The general public and owners of all sizes of businesses are invited to participate.

Kasikornbank recently started up a six-week training workshop for SMEs, and Siam Commercial Bank has also been conducting its seven-week SCB Young Entrepreneur training programme for SME customers.

Piya said Bangkok Bank had pioneered training courses for SMEs, having organised such seminars and sessions for some eight years.

The World Class Seminar Series was created to support the bank's corporate business activities. It is expected to be held quarterly for an indefinite period and each seminar will focus on a particular business sector.

Despite some SME customers suffering losses amid stiffer competition, the bank hopes to expand its customer base. It already claims 30 per cent of the SME loan market. It expects to reach its SME-loan growth target of 10 per cent for this year after its SME-loan portfolio expanded by about 4 per cent in the first five months.

The bank's SME loans mainly go to the manufacturing, tourism, commercial and food-processing industries.

Piya forecasts that loan growth in the financial system will slow to 3-5 per cent this year, largely because of sluggish consumption and private investment amid uncertainty in both the economic and political environments.

Somruedi Banchongduang

The nation